A New Path - Chapter 254

The girls were growing restless as they sat in the waiting area of the prison. Only after about twenty minutes did they see the door to the dungeon opening up and Amell walking out followed by a boy with long light-green hair. The boy’s demeanour was eerily calm for someone that young having just been released from that pitch-black solitude. When Amell saw the girls he stepped aside and pushed the boy forward, “This is Orga. He is the second to last member I have planned to join us. Make him feel welcome.” Sherria immediately jumped in and grabbed Orga’s hand without his permission and started shaking it up and down. “Welcome, welcome! Nice to meet you, I just joined myself! Actually, about two hours ago. I like it so far, what do you think. My name is Sherria, by the way!”

“Sherria, stop with the twenty questions. Give him some room to breathe.” Amell looked at Touka and she walked up and forcefully dragged Sherria away. Briar worked up the courage to talk and she walked up as well, much more calmly than Sherria. “H-Hi! My name is Briar, nice to meet you, Orga.” Her manner was miles above Touka’s and Sherria’s. She even gave plenty of time for Orga to answer.

“Hm,” He stared into Briar’s eyes. “Honest. Good. I am Orga, nice to meet you.” His introduction was brief, but it still made Briar happy. He was like her, no long sentences or complicated emotions running rampant. Calm, collected and honest. Just like her.

“Now that we’re all acquainted with each other, let’s go get something to eat. You guys must be starving.” All the kids nodded in sync, some with more enthusiasm than others. The gang made their way out of the prison with merry steps. They didn’t get far from the prison before a voice sounded out behind them.

“Portgas D Amell. May I please have a word.” A gentle, yet a voice filled with rock-solid confidence. Sherria was the first one to turn around and her eyes went wide at the sight of who stood there.

“Jura! Another Saint! I am meeting two in one day, LUCKY ME!” Sherria ran up without considering the tense atmosphere, she offered her hand for a handshake. “Sir Jura. My name is Sherria Blendy. Nice to meet you.”

“Hello! Nice to meet you too. I really need to talk to that man, so could you wait a bit?” Jura managed to deflate her instantly and her shining smile almost melted off her face.

“S-Sure,” She walked back to the group and sighed, “Amell, one. Jura, ZERO!” She whispered loudly so everyone could hear. She had a real talent for switching mood in just a second. She went from being happy to very displeased just from being denied a handshake.

Amell inspected the man with a look. Just meeting those eyes made Jura tense up. Amell saw through him instantly. “You’re not half bad compared to the other wizards I’ve met lately. Jura was your name?”

“Yes, Sir. I apologize for stopping you here. I am also gonna apologize in advance for this rude and out of the blue request. I seek to test myself against someone of my level. I believe you will offer me my greatest challenge yet. Would you grant this selfish request of mine?” Jura spoke solemnly. He didn’t hesitate or fumble with his words which proved he was a true veteran. Still, he was young and clearly naive. This was Amell’s assessment. Anyone asking him for a spar would be someone born after he stopped being an active wizard. No one from his time would ever ask for a spar, they knew what the outcome would be.

“How long have you been a wizard Saint?”

“A few years. I am confident in my strength.”

“Clearly.” Amell chuckled to himself, “You are just forgetting one thing. Basic instinct. Let me ask you something. Can you sense the magic power flowing inside of me, like you can any other wizard you come across?” Amell’s question forced Jura off balance. He hesitated in his answer for the first time.

“N-No, I can not.” After multiple attempts, Amell still felt just like a civilian. He hadn’t registered this before since an opportunity to fight the Eight Saint overtook his basic fighter instincts. A veteran he was, but still, he had a long way to go.

“That, Jura, is the disparity between us. Listen closely for I will only say this one time. You are not allowed to make a request like that again. Not until you can sense my magical presence.” Amell could freely control how much magic his body naturally release. He could completely erase his presence if he wished. This was a test for Jura, so Amell knew what level he was at.

“I…” Jura stood speechless. Sherria, on the other hand, flashed a victory smile. “That’s my grandpa! You better watch out!” She pointed at Jura, but Amell lowered her arm.

“It is considered rude to point at someone like that. We need to work on your impulse control, Sherria.”

“No, no way! That’s what makes me so lovable. It’s half my personality.” Sherria took Briar and Touka by the arms and yelled loudly, “Now, FOOOOD!” The three girls rushed away with great speed.

“Grandpa, is it safe to let them run off like that?” Orga stood still, very loyal as he wouldn’t move more than a few meters away from Amell. Also, Amell was so used to being called, grandpa, father, honourable grandfather, and all other titles he had so most of the time he didn’t react to it. Like just now. He didn’t register it as weird, which might be normal considering how large his family was and how many titles he had. The most common one was either grandpa or dad, which is why he didn’t react to Orga saying it.

“It’s fine. I will never lose sight of any of you. If you are ever in trouble, I will know instantly.” Amell looked at Jura who was lost in thought. His confidence had been broken in a very short span of time.

“Look here, kid.” Amell walked in close. he felt a little bad if he had actually ruined this boy for life. “You are certainly not weak. You are very strong, but that’s only relevant to today’s mages. If you wandered this world when I was active over a century ago. Your strength would not be that high. All you need is time.” Amell saw some colour return to Jura’s face. He also dug down in his pocket.

“Take this.” He wanted Jura a little piece of wood. Something Gildarts would recognize immediately. “Have you heard the legends of my island?”

Eh, hm, yes. Certainly, everyone has.”

“Good. This is a compass. Can you guess to where.” He asked with a smirk.

“Surely, you don’t mean to Paradise island?”

“Exactly that. But, this one is a little different. It can’t be activated on its own. See this as a test. Seek out Gildarts of Fairy Tail, show him this compass and he will explain the rest to you. You can always just throw this away if you want. The choice is up to you. But, if you want a chance to spar with me someday, seek out Gildarts.” Amell grinned on the inside. ‘Here you go, Gildarts. Let your father see how you’ve grown.’

“T-Thank you,” Jura bowed and put the compass away. “Sorry for my rude behaviour. Perhaps I’ve grown too confident in myself. I can see I have a long way to go.”

“Hopefully I’ll see you on my island in the future. Good luck to you.” Amell walked away and Orga followed after closely.

“Grandpa, why would you help him?”

“He is one of the good ones. Also, his potential is very good. If he was a little younger and wasn’t so set in his ways, I could have taken him under my wing. It would have been interesting.”

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End